Alice Austen Lived Here: Chapters 1–4

by Alex Gino
Seventh grader Sam Marino is determined to win the contest that would decide which historical figure would be honored with a statue in front of New York's Staten Island Borough Hall.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–16
35 words 134 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sprawl
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    My view is of New York Bay, with New Jersey sprawled out on the left side, downtown Manhattan poking up into the sky on the right, and between them, there she is, Lady Liberty.
  2. buff
    an ardent fan or follower
    TJ’s dad was a trivia buff as well as a professional chef.
  3. pronoun
    a function word that is used in place of a noun
    “Why do you keep calling them she anyway? How do you know what pronouns a statue uses?”
  4. gingham
    a woven cotton fabric, typically with a checked pattern
    She came back wearing red lipstick and a full-length red gingham apron over an electric-blue dress with a short flared skirt.
  5. warble
    sing or play with trills
    She raised the speed until the warbling pitch of the motor rose to a steady hum, then tipped a cup of powdered sugar over the mixer, shaking in an even, powdery stream.
  6. element
    the situation in which you are happiest and most effective
    “It’s so good to be baking,” Jess said, pulling the spice cake out of the fridge while the beaters cut air into the frosting mixture. “I finally have enough energy to do something other than keeping Evie fed and clean, and it feels good to be back in my element.”
  7. deft
    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
    She turned off the mixer, and soon she had piping bags that she used like pink, blue, purple, and green paint to create sugary flowers and leaves with deft turns and flicks of her wrist.
  8. oblong
    deviating from a shape by being elongated in one direction
    I’d ended up with three unpleasant roundish blobs and nine unpleasant oblong blobs, which was when I decided that I would rather eat dessert than decorate it.
  9. loafer
    a low leather shoe with no laces
    They kicked off their loafers, tossed their hat onto the back of the couch, and joined in.
  10. khaki
    a sturdy type of cloth that is a light brown color
    They were short and round, from their wavy black hair to their dimpled copper-brown cheeks to their sizable belly, and they wore khakis and a blue-and-black checkerboard vest over a light blue button-down shirt.
  11. euphoric
    characterized by a feeling of well-being or elation
    They placed a bite in their mouth and sank into a kitchen chair with euphoric ease.
  12. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    Jess cleared her throat with mock indignation. “Well, if it’s just another day, maybe I shouldn’t have bothered with a cake.”
  13. insist
    be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
    None of our other teachers took attendance, but Watras insisted on beginning each lesson by pulling out his old red attendance binder.
  14. primordial
    having existed from the beginning
    It was just Watras, unchanged since he’d sprouted from the primordial ooze, marking dinosaurs late for not having evolved on time.
  15. contradiction
    opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
    It could have been interesting if Watras wanted to explore the contradiction of saying you fought the British for freedom while having slaves work the land you stole from the Indigenous people who had been here and free for thousands of years before you, but he didn’t bring any of that up.
  16. wisp
    a thin tuft, piece, or amount of something
    There was a wisp of hope in the air that perhaps he had misread the clock and would release us early.
  17. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Most of us held our groans. A few were less subtle.
  18. squabble
    a quarrel about petty points
    Interborough squabbles aside, you should all be proud to live in one of the greatest cities in the country, if not the world.
  19. commission
    place an order for
    And a city that is providing you a rare opportunity, because Borough Hall is commissioning a new statue for the base of its steps to look out on New York Harbor, and the subject for that statue will come from a young Staten Islander.
  20. significance
    the quality of being important
    He explained that entries needed to include an essay about the local and personal significance of the subject, a proposed statue image, and a letter of recommendation from a teacher.
  21. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    I expect you to approach this task with the proper reverence and maturity.
  22. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    Watras huffed with the exasperation of someone who has been bothered by inanity too many times to be surprised but isn’t willing to let said inanity pass without note.
  23. inanity
    the quality of being meaningless or foolish
    Watras huffed with the exasperation of someone who has been bothered by inanity too many times to be surprised but isn’t willing to let said inanity pass without note.
  24. distinction
    high status importance owing to marked superiority
    I speak of a person of distinction.
  25. ideally
    preferably; for the best outcome or results
    Someone who is meaningful to Staten Island, and ideally someone who is meaningful to you personally.
  26. contemporary
    characteristic of the present
    Contemporary refers to the now.
  27. impression
    an imitative portrayal of a person
    A few kids laughed at Anthony’s impression of a thick Italian American accent.
  28. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    Once we were in the din of the hallway, TJ shouted, “WORST.”
  29. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    “Oooh! Good one! You’ve got some fire in you today.”
    “I do what I can.” I shrugged nonchalantly, but fire was the highest compliment she gave.
  30. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    “I see the conundrum,” said Val.
  31. assumption
    a hypothesis that is taken for granted
    “There are some subconscious assumptions on the part of your teacher that hypothetically overlaying ourselves onto the past works equivalently for all parties.”
  32. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    “No—a Knickerbocker is a New Yawkah!” Val said as if they were hitting a taxi on the hood while sauntering through a crosswalk.
  33. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    “Lemme see!” I demanded, and Jess gave me Val’s phone, the screen showing a black-and-white picture of three white men at the beach in old-fashioned bathing suits, one man with his hand on another’s head, and all three of them casually smiling at the camera.
  34. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    There was a picture of an old, beautiful house and one of a cluttered living room filled with ornate metal tables, shelves full of vases, giant-fronded ferns, a massive throne-like chair, and more.
  35. condescension
    showing arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
    “Which is clearly a sign of local significance,” noted TJ with a whiff of condescension in their voice.
Created on Tue Jun 06 14:04:16 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Jun 06 15:01:54 EDT 2023)

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